


Hide and Seek

by Just_Another_Day



Series: Unconditional Acceptance [2]
Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Fluff, Humor, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 14:34:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18942928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Another_Day/pseuds/Just_Another_Day
Summary: "You're a bad influence on him."





	Hide and Seek

**Author's Note:**

> This is intended to be set in the same 'verse as my fic [Unconditional Acceptance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16706056). If you want to read that as well, I'd recommend reading that one before this. However, this can absolutely just be read as a standalone if you prefer.

Laurent only ducked out of the room for a second. But that was long enough, apparently. He heard the light and slightly clumsy patter of feet, then a much louder sigh from Damen.

"Again?" Laurent asked when he arrived back into the entrance chamber of their rooms to find that Damen was now alone there, looking harried. Which was only to be expected when this had to be at least the dozenth time they'd had to deal with this so far that evening. "Honestly, at this point, you should know to just hold onto him."

"Easier said than done."

"What would your subjects say if they found out that their wrestling champion of a King can't even manage to keep a single small child pinned down?"

" _Our_ subjects," Damen corrected automatically. "And I'm sure they'd just marvel at how quick he is. And how slippery. He's inherited that from you, you know."

How was that supposed to work, Laurent pondered, when the boy shared no blood connection with Laurent? Laurent carefully didn't say as much aloud, though, just in case Damen took it the wrong way. It had been nearly a year since they'd capped off what Laurent viewed as an already absurd run of good luck with the moment that the Vaskians had handed over the most precious cargo Laurent was sure he would ever receive in his lifetime. In Laurent's opinion, a year was more than long enough to consider himself Vasili's real father, blood or no blood. A _moment_ had been long enough, in fact. But even when it would have only been in jest, Laurent did still hesitate to bring up the fact that they didn't share that particular level of connection in case it came across like he actually cared about that. Vasili might not be quite old enough to understand (or misunderstand, more the point) if he overheard, but the same wasn't true of Damen.

Perhaps Damen knew what Laurent was thinking even without him saying it, though, for he elaborated, "You're a bad influence on him." He didn't sound upset, thankfully.

"You sound like Nikandros."

"Nikandros wouldn't say it half as nicely."

"True," said Laurent.

"Speaking of Nikandros, he and the rest of the court will be growing impatient at this point."

Laurent said, "If they think it's so simple to actually shuffle their beloved little Prince out the front door without him running off, they should come try it themselves. Besides, if there's one day of the year they don't get to rush me, it should be today."

Not that it really worked that way. This day was at least as much about the populace getting to enjoy their revelries as it was about Laurent himself.

Laurent did go in search of Vasili even so. Not that 'search' was probably the right word for it. Even if not for the giggles that audibly erupted down the corridor when Laurent called out, "Hmm, I wonder where Vasili could have gone," Laurent still would have known exactly where he would be able to find the boy.

Laurent made a loud production of 'checking' each of the rooms on his way there, but in the end he found Vasili in the exact same place that Vasili went to _every single time_ (and there were so many times) that he got it in his head that the moment when they were about to head out the door was the perfect time to play hide and seek. Vasili was standing in the gap between the writing desk and the tall bookcase in Laurent's study, with his nose practically pressed flush to the wall as if by mostly hiding his face away from Laurent's direct line of sight it meant that Laurent wouldn't be able to see him there at all.

Laurent grabbed him around the waist and scooped him off the ground, saying, "Found you!" amidst a chorus of squeals as he swung Vasili around in his arms.

Vasili's laughter too-quickly died down, though, as he realised what was happening. He squirmed as Laurent carried him all the way out to where Damen was waiting for them by the door, clearly wanting to be lowered back down to his feet. "Oh no," said Laurent, "you're not running off and hiding _again_. If you want to play hide and seek, then you're going to wait until I hand you over to Nikandros and it becomes his problem to run around after you like a fool."

Vasili's young mind surely couldn't quite process the entirety of Laurent's words, but he clearly got enough of the gist that he didn't hesitate to make his displeasure known over how he obviously wasn't going to get his way. 

"Come on, we have to go to your father's birthday celebrations," Damen said before Vasili could get himself in too much of a lather.

That more or less silenced him. Vasili definitely knew the word 'birthday' well, after the way he'd recently been allowed to gorge himself at the large-scale celebrations they'd thrown when Nikandros had reached his thirtieth (and probably last, Nikandros said, if they didn't all stop trying to send him to an early grave) year.

"Seemee?" Vasili asked enthusiastically.

"You _might_ be allowed to have some sweetmeats if you're good," confirmed Damen (which really meant Vasili would definitely get them regardless of his behaviour, for Damen was a pushover when it came to his son, and 'maybe' always ended up really meaning 'yes'). "But just a few of them this time," Damen warned (which really meant that someone was bound to end up with the thankless task of trying to contain Vasili while he was acting even more full of energy than usual after he stuffed his face with treats, Laurent predicted).

Oh well. It was Laurent's birthday, so at least that person definitely wasn't going to be him. 

Actually, Laurent wouldn't at all mind if that too ended up being Nikandros's responsibility.

As birthday gifts went, receiving first his throne during his previous birthday celebrations would be hard to ever come close to topping. But still, Laurent thought wickedly, the sight of Nikandros having to scurry around the floor on his hands and knees repeatedly trying to catch Vasili and to pry him out of whatever tight spaces he decided to hurl himself into would surely earn a comfortable second place.

Laurent might even slip Vasili some of the sweetmeats off his own plate, come to that.

**Author's Note:**

> Laurent loves his son so much... especially when he gets to set the kid on Nikandros. :')
> 
> And honestly, as prone to disobedient running off as this kid already is, no one really should have been surprised what a little shit he ends up being at ten years old.


End file.
